DaveInDaytona
08-22-2002, 03:25 AM
Police Force Disbanded
A small town Tennessee police department with a history of run-ins with motorcyclists has been disbanded, in part because of those tragic incidents.
In a meeting held June 5, the City Commission of Rockford, Tennessee, voted to disband the citys four member police department immediately.
Rockford is a town of 650 residents in Blount County, about 15 miles south of Knoxville. The town gained attention of the AMA, and motorcyclists nationwide, when allegations surfaced that Rockford Police Sgt. James Ray Johnson had intentionally swerved his police cruiser into the path of an approaching motorcyclist on Old Knoxville Highway on March 10, 2001 killing the rider instantly.
The motorcyclists, Philip Laton, 27, a father of three, was a corrections officer on his way to work at the Juvenile Detention Center in Knoxville when he was killed. Johnson has been charged with vehicular homicide and is free on $25,000 bond pending trial.
That was the third serious incident involving the small police force in less than a year. Previously, a woman had been killed when a police car struck the vehicle she was driving, and another motorcyclist was seriously injured in a high speed pursuit involving the department.
***I followed this story when it first came out. The police in car video was what showed what really happened. Sad times, but it's something that the people have spoken there. Good riddance to that crew.
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A small town Tennessee police department with a history of run-ins with motorcyclists has been disbanded, in part because of those tragic incidents.
In a meeting held June 5, the City Commission of Rockford, Tennessee, voted to disband the citys four member police department immediately.
Rockford is a town of 650 residents in Blount County, about 15 miles south of Knoxville. The town gained attention of the AMA, and motorcyclists nationwide, when allegations surfaced that Rockford Police Sgt. James Ray Johnson had intentionally swerved his police cruiser into the path of an approaching motorcyclist on Old Knoxville Highway on March 10, 2001 killing the rider instantly.
The motorcyclists, Philip Laton, 27, a father of three, was a corrections officer on his way to work at the Juvenile Detention Center in Knoxville when he was killed. Johnson has been charged with vehicular homicide and is free on $25,000 bond pending trial.
That was the third serious incident involving the small police force in less than a year. Previously, a woman had been killed when a police car struck the vehicle she was driving, and another motorcyclist was seriously injured in a high speed pursuit involving the department.
***I followed this story when it first came out. The police in car video was what showed what really happened. Sad times, but it's something that the people have spoken there. Good riddance to that crew.
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